Not In Attendance
by LadyBeamer
Summary: Tony finds out there was a funeral and Pepper did not attend. He also finds out what she did instead of going to the funeral. Slight Tony/Pepper.


Authors Note: I have to admit this story did not turn out how I wanted but I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story and the song is by Evanescence.

"There was a funeral," Tony said. It wasn't a question.

Pepper hadn't heard him come up for the workshop. She froze but didn't look up.

"Yes."

"You didn't go." Another statement.

"No," she said still looking at the brief that she was in the middle of writing.

"Should I be offended?"

"You can be, if you want," she said still not looking at him. She kept her eyes on the screen of her lap top but wasn't seeing it. She still wasn't used to this. Him being here, back home, bothering her when she was doing work. He had been back for 3 days and sometimes when he was downstairs, she started thinking that it was just her a Jarvis and he was still only God knows where.

"Rhodey was there."

"The brass made him go. I believe he made a speech."

"Wasn't a bad one either. But lets go back to the part where you didn't attend and why."

She finally looked up and made eye contact with him. "Because I didn't believe you were dead."

"Really? You seemed to be the only one. Well you and Rhodey. "

"It was Stane. His idea… to have the funeral," she whispered to him. "He wanted me to organize it. I told him that I would do no such thing until there was proof that you were… that you weren't coming back."

"So even after two months, you still thought I was alive?"

"My thinking was that if terrorists had killed you, they wouldn't have kept it a secret."

"What did you do while the funeral was going on?"

She paused. "I… I worked. Here. I was working, there was a lot of things to do with you being officially dead and all."

"I see. Well I wanted to say thank you. For keeping things in order, and for not believe I was… not coming back."

She smiled at him, "My pleasure."

"Jarvis, pull up the video for May 30, 2008. Around 11am."

"Yes, sir."

Nine mini screens came on to the TV. Tony studied each one looking for her. She said she had been working, but there was something about the way she paused that made him think she hiding something. Then he found her on screen 4. She was at the baby grand, looking at it, staring at it and then she finally sat down. She paused a long time before playing. The music was beautiful and simple. She was quietly humming along with the song that she was playing. As she was playing he could see tears escaping from her eyes.

"Jarvis, take a sample from the song and tell me what it is."

"Yes, sir."

Seconds passed. "The song you are requesting is _My Immortal_ by Evanescence."

End

Authors Note: For those of you that don't know the lyrics to _My Immortal_, here they are.

_I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave_

_Because your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I've held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

_You used to captivate me_

_by your resonating light_

_But now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I've held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you´re gone_

_But though you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along_

I thought that the lyrics went really well with what would have been going on with Pepper while Tony was gone.


End file.
